Clear the way - roadie on the trail

[MightyMitre]

Just wanted to say what fun I had. Last night I took my tank of a mountain bike and went for a spin. It was excellent!

As a roadie, anything less than smooth road is a bit of a shock but I was surprised how well I did. Admittedly it was just a gravel track, but as I got nearer the top of the hill it gradually got thinner till it was only as wide as my tyre and full of large stones. Whizzing back down again was also brilliant! After my skinny road wheels where you have to keep an eye out for the smallest hole in the road , those big, fat tyres made me feel indestructible!

My legs felt strong but any one got any tips or advice for an absolute mtb newbie to help me improve my bike handling? At times it felt a bit like learning to ride again ( but less falling off!) .
:D

[Veronica]

Welcome to the club! I've been back on mountain bike twice now. I've been doing club rides so I have people coaching me as I go - really nice.

Things I've learned so far - look only where you want to go. Keep your weight back all the time. When doing a steep ascent I tend to pull my front tire up so - butt back, back flat and get down close to the handlebars seems to work for me.

And remember it's about having fun.

The really experienced folks will tell you more I'm sure. :)


Veronica

[williamtash]

Hi
I have a hybrid that I road for three years I just started on a road bike this year. I Really didn't think there would be that much difference in the bikes and the way they handle. I found going from the hybrid to the road was not bad. Then I went back to the hybrid man that was really weird. It felt like riding a tank. I also remember that it was great not having to look at the road put holes and rocks it felt fantactic.

Don't get me wrong Love my road to but the supposed bike path I take you need a mtb even thou it is suppose to be for road bike.

Let me know how it goes with the mountain bike.

[MightyMitre]

Thanks guys - I'm hoping a bit more mtb ing will help with my confidence and bike handling skills when I'm on the road, but I also love the total change of pace. On the road I don't often have time to smell the flowers - but on my mountain bike I feel I can just stop and admire the view etc, any time I like. it's great!

[missliz]

A mountain bike is very much about stopping to roll around in the flowers. And it's really different than road riding technique wise. Lot's of body english, almost like skiing. The advice about look where you want to go is crucial, you need to pick the line you want to take through the terrain and stick to it.
When you're not spinning, keep your cranks level. The kind of crouch it creates makes you more mobile on the bike, a dirt bike takes more pulling and pushing around under you to to handle. That road thing of one foot up one down will jam you up. You get stuck there, and it's easier to fall over.
If you hit nasty stuff, mud , sand, whatever, keep spinning! Try to keep a good cadence and compensate by shifting down into easier gears. That's what the little chainwheel is for, not just climbing. The second the legs stop you get into trouble. Backpedal if you need to, but as long as the legs are moving you'll stay upright on stuff you wouldn't beleive possible.
There's more- I always have more to say :p . But go try this and see what you think.

Lizzy

[Dogmama]

I'm a roadie but I have an MTB when I want to just play. It's so nice to not have to worry about cars!! At first, I had trouble with the slipping around in the sand (definitely not what a roadie wants to do!) but that's getting more manageable.

As Liz said, keep spinning. The most fun I have is trying to get across really deep sand in the wash. I like to see how far I can go before I fall over. Then I laugh like a crazy woman, get back up and try to find a semi-solid part to get moving again on. Even pushing your bike through the sand is a great workout.

I'm also amazed at how slowly I can move and stay upright. I'm still not used to crawling up hills. I find that getting out of the saddle doesn't give me the same leverage as I get on my road bike - so I tend to stay in the saddle, slide back and work the gears.

[missliz]

Actually, Dogmommy, the easiest way to climb on dirt is to slide forward, so far forward the saddle nose is up your crack (This is uncomfortable but literally so) and spin in a very low gear. You need to relax your upper body over the bars, and you can use a "rowing" action on the bars, which makes no sense but works. You can rise up scary steep stuff like you're in an elevator. A little practice, you'll be able to loft the front wheel over stuff on the way up. Amaze your freinds and intimidate your not freinds!
You need to really anticipate what gear you need to be in, and shift down BEFORE the load gets too heavy, when you can't shift at all- and fall over. We all need a good laugh, but riding a 70 degree grade is rewarding too!
Sand is the same type of thing- high cadence spin, low gears, very relaxed upper body. Especially if you're just riding along and hit a patch of really dry sand- if you're relaxed and loose the bike will slip around under you but as long as the legs are doing the turbine thing and the rest of you is a rag doll you'll just go with and keep on. It's like riding a horse, soft hands and tough attitude.
Except that you become quadraped yourself.

Lizzy

[MightyMitre]

Thanks for the tips - that's especially interesting about keeping your legs spinning, and changing to a small gear when the terrain is rough. I've just got back from another mtb ride with a buddy whose done a lot more than me and it was such a laugh. I felt like a bit of a clutz, especially on the narrow stuff with stones and roots but really enjoyed it. Couldn't quite belive I was riding some it. :) We also went up some quite steep hills, so we kept stopping to look at the view when we got to the top ( and have a bit of a chat.)

As for my legs, they felt good. Being out of the saddle a lot more felt like I'd given them a weights workout.

Might look into picking up a cheap 2nd hand bike - one with suspension folks maybe. At one point both my forearms were tingling like mad with the vibrations - although I managed to keep my grip relaxed.:)

[Dogmama]

Liz,
Wow, MTB is much different than road! I've always put myself in back of the saddle to climb. Thanks for the tip.

To go through sand, though, would I keep my weight back? Seems like if I was over the front wheel, I'd be more likely to face plant.

Thanks

[missliz]

Well, what kind of sand are you talking about? Patches in a woods? A beach? Dunes?
On a Mt bike there's nothing as simple as leaning front or back, it's so much about body english. Think in terms of being in a crouch on level pedals and letting the bike run under you, it'll be a little ahead or behind, it'll scooch a little to the side and back to center; you stay straight and lean the bike under you for some movements. You're controlling this, but letting the bike follow the line you pick. Watch skiers on tv, the upper body is relaxed and in one place but the legs glide to where they need to be, they move around all over under. It's a Zen practice, but in more fashionable clothes ;) .
This is hard to explain without being able to demo. Go get a copy of Mountain Bike magazine, try to ignore the ads, there are great articles on technique for beginners. That's how I learned a lot of this. And a lot of practice. Didn't Ned Overend write a book? His skills articles were always the best.
Riding dirt is closer to skiing or dancing, while road riding is closer to distance running. Except that high level roadies have all these skills. Lance can ride dirt.
So back to sand. Stay very realaxed, sit and spin. Same with sticky mud. Be patient. Slumping over the bar, which is sometimes the nessasary position, is not leaning forward. Keep your butt on the seat. Standing up to get through or over is often a bad idea, it raises your heart rate. Also on a road bike. You need to be aware of HR and what cog you're in, because you need to be aware of what's in reserve so you can ration it. And headplants come from the front wheel locking up on something more than leaning forward. You can go over the bars even if your chest is on the seat you're so far off the back.

MM- A fork is great, and it's even more about safety than comfort. But oh god are they comfortable. You can put a modest fork on what you have now, or if you want to buy a used bike with suspension just make sure you know it's history. A fork with a lot of hours on it may be fine if it's been maintained, but get somebody mechanical to help you. A fork with a lot of abuse and no maintenance is trouble waiting to happen. There's a lot of fine bikes from the late nineties around that didn't get ridden much so you can find something swell, just be picky. And get the oil checked before you ride it if there's oil damping (recommended). It dries out or separates and the fork will malfunction.
Since you have no idea what I'm talking about get a freind to help you.

Lizzy

I hope this makes sense.

[missliz]

I wrote something confusing above- Standing up to use your body wheight as leverage and mashing the pedals to get up a hill is kind of slovenly technique anywhere. You should be using progressivly lower gears as you climb or slog through stuff, and saving the stand-on-the-pedals thing as an occasional power play. Sitting and spinning up or through will give you the conditioning to do it better next time.
On a Mt bike, sitting is relative. Your tail can be two inches off the seat and it's still sitting, as long as the legs are in a deep bend. You need to let the bike move under you, and being totally planted on the seat stops that. A full standing posistion, using your wheight as leverage, is the no no. And you can get stuck there- watch how supple a good rider is even in a standing position, it's never really standing, the knees keep a bend, the body is loose, there's no pulling on the bars. The hands are light.

Lizzy

[han-grrl]

We teach our students to be loose on the bike. Mountain biking is a lot about anticipation and adaptation. one minute your weight is back, and the next you need to push your body forward for the rear wheel to clear an obstacle. practice rolling around and bring your weight front, back side, side, and i mean ALL the way in each direction.

when you go through sand, you may want to gear down, and keep your weight a little bit back... however, if you are climbing, you are probably going to be "shuffling" your weight front and back in order to maintain traction.

hope some of thie helps

Han